Long Live AV

by Rob Sheeley (Retired Founder of Vaddio)

Rob Sheeley

A Video Conferencing or any type of conferencing is just another application on our desktop. The challenge that the industry failed to see is that what were once desktop applications have now become meeting room applications.

As the BYOD or Bring Your Own Device evolution has changed the enterprise-computing model and as a result how we work and where we work. End users now expect their applications to work in the meeting room, classroom, living room and anywhere else they decide to work.

The opportunity in our industry is to realize that we are no longer selling black boxes, but instead we are creating computer portals (or docks) that enable these applications & cloud services to have access to high quality video & audio room tools, and not webcams and USB microphones.

The end user still expects his room experience to be just as good as what he had before. Our job is to make sure that happens. We are now seeing that Video Conferencing is no longer an industry by itself but just another "App" or Cloud based service that we use everyday.

The real industry here is AV and now video conferencing is just another application that must be considered when a meeting room is designed. Long Live AV

New AV Product Offerings From Vaddio

Camera Series Features Revolutionary Range-Set Image Control

Minnetonka, MN. Some of the newest offerings from Vaddio, www.vaddio.com,  include the RoboSHOT Broadcast and RoboSHOT Conference PTZ camera systems.  This new camera series features Range-Set image control, a revolutionary new optical image control technology that allows integrators and technical staff the ability to set the appropriate wide field-of-view and optical zoom range to match the live requirements of the room.  In addition to Range-Set, the RoboSHOT camera series features a new camera control protocol called Tri-Synchronous Motion by Vaddio.  Now pan, tilt and zoom are just one command resulting in the ability to deliver smooth and repeatable “On-Air” camera motion.

RoboSHOT Camera by Vaddio

In addition to the new camera series, Vaddio has expanded its AV Bridge line by introducing the AV Bridge CONFERENCE and AV Bridge MATRIX PRO.   Based off of Vaddio’s award winning technology, the AV Bridge CONFERENCE is designed for use with UC and videoconferencing soft clients.  The AV Bridge MATRIX PRO is a complete professional AV solution designed to reduce the complexity of designing USB systems for meeting and lecture capture rooms that support multiple cameras and microphones.  The MATRIX PRO allows you to add audio and video mixing functionality into one box.

New audio solutions by Vaddio include the ConferencePOD and the Audio Bridge. The ConferencePOD is an enterprise-quality USB 2.0, Bluetooth and VoIP conference phone with echo cancellation and full duplex operation for use with UC applications. Vaddio’s Audio Bridge is a professional USB audio interface that allows you to integrate professional audio equipment into USB-based PC applications, Unified Communications, lecture capture, recording or any other application that requires professional audio. Existing meeting room audio equipment can now be used with any UC soft client including Microsoft Lync, Cisco Jabber, Google+ and more.

Vaddio Announces New President and CEO

Technology Veteran and Former Polycom Executive Joins Vaddio Leadership Team

Ed Ellett, Vaddio's New President

Minneapolis, MN. Vaddio, www.vaddio.com, the trusted leader in robotic cameras and unified communications products,today announced the appointment of Ed Ellett as Vaddio’s President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors effective on June 30, 2014. Ellett is a seasoned senior executive with extensive expertise in marketing, product strategy, operations and sales channel development.He was most recently senior vice president and general manager of Nvidia’s Professional Solutions Group. Previously, Ellett was a Senior Vice President and General Manager of Polycom’s Unified Communications Video Business Unit. Ellett holds a B.S. in electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.

Ellett replaces Rob Sheeley, founder and CEO of Vaddio, who has served as President since founding the company with Tom Mingo in December 2002.

“We welcome Ed’s experience and leadership to the Vaddio management team,” said Vaddio founder, Rob Sheeley. “As Vaddio has grown from a couple of guys dreaming up new products as a technology startup in a back room in Minneapolis in 2002 to this amazing industry leading camera and Unified Communication technology company that we are today, we knew we needed to add someone who could lead Vaddio into its next era of growth. Ed’s experience in our industry combined with his management style fits perfectly with Vaddio’s corporate culture and makes him the ideal leader to assume my role at Vaddio. I will continue to be involved with Vaddio as a board member and providing leadership guidance in marketing and product development strategies.”

“I am excited to join the dynamic and innovative team working at Vaddio as well as building on the great relationships it has with its partners,” said Ellett. “The industry is undergoing change and the creative professional cameras and unified communications products from Vaddio are well aligned to these changes to meet customers’ business needs. I am looking forward to contributing and building on the growth of the company.”

About Vaddio: 
Vaddio  is  the  leading  manufacturer  of  specialty  PTZ  cameras  and  camera  control  systems  used  in  the audiovisual,  videoconference  and  broadcast  industries. 

Vaddio’s AV Bridge MATRIX PRO Enables AV Room Solution for USB/IP Applications

Complete professional AV solution reduces the complexity of designing systems

Vaddio’s AV Bridge Matrix PRO is a complete professional AV solution designed to reduce the complexity of designing USB systems for meeting and lecture capture rooms that support multiple cameras and microphones. Based on Vaddio’s award-winning AV Bridge technology, the MATRIX PRO adds audio and video mixing functionality directly into the box.

“The challenge with designing USB systems has been the limitation of a PC and its ability to support only one camera and one microphone on a USB System Bus,” explained CEO Rob Sheeley.  “The AV Bridge Matrix PRO gives integrators the ability to add multiple cameras, microphones and other AV devices into PC-based system room design. It then manages the complex process of mixing, switching and controlling those devices into a single USB stream. We believe that this will be an easier and more cost-effective solution for our integrators who are designing lecture capture and UC conferencing systems.”

AV Bridge CONFERENCE – One of the 3 new additions to the AV Bridge family

The MATRIX PRO replaces a rack full of gear by combining a variety of capabilities:  an AV encoder with simultaneous IP and USB 2.0 streaming, a four-input seamless HD video switcher, three Quick-Connect Interfaces for Vaddio cameras, an 8 x 4 cross-point audio matrix mixer/switcher with AEC, four audio ports for Vaddio EasyUSB microphones with built-in AEC, and a web server for configuration programming, control and remote management.

HD Streaming Solution for UC and Videoconferencing Rooms with Vaddio's AV Bridge Conference

Vaddio launches the new AV Bridge Conference which provides integrators the ability to integrate soft codecs, including Skype, Cisco Jabbe and Microsoft Lync, into traditional AV designs.

Based on UVC/UAC USB standards, no special USB drivers need to be installed, and as a result, AV Bridge Conference works seamlessly with any software application running on any operating system that supports USB 2.0 devices.  Whether you want to do a Microsoft Lync video call or need to set up an audio conference, the AV Bridge Conference provides the USB connection to your AV System. What to record or sream a meeting? Use the recording and streaming software of your choice - and AV Bridge Conference will connect the audio and video sources.

"AV Bridge Conference was designed to support far-end audio for conferencing applications," explained Rob Sheeley, president of Vaddio.  "Videoconferencing system designs require separated near-end audio for local speaker amplification from remote sites."


AV Bridge Conference can support selectable balanced or unbalanced audio - and selectable HDMI, RGBHV, SD or HD component video inputs.  Outputs include USB 2.0 with HD UV/UAV device support, or an Ethernet network interface for both IP control and streaming (RTSP and HLS.) Far-end audio is delivered from the AV Bridge Conference through a balanced (XLR) or unbalanced (RCA) audio input.

AV Bridge Conference makes it simple to encode, capture and stream AV content through a variety of PC Applications or Directly to the network.

Vaddio Extends Live Technical Support Hours to Better Serve Customers

Get your questions addressed quickly and efficiently

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Vaddio has extended its availability for live technical support from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. (CST) beginning October 1st, 2013. It’s not always possible to get in touch with a live person for technical support during an early morning video call or late night live event.

Vaddio Tech Support gang

“Good support, provided directly from the manufacturer, is critical to keeping systems running successfully,” explained Vaddio CEO and President, Rob Sheeley. “Vaddio stands by providing the right information, tools and solutions to get questions addressed quickly and efficiently. Plus, customers get a single point-of-contact to help diagnose and troubleshoot concerns.”

The Vaddio technical support team is comprised of veteran AV professionals and engineers who have extensive experience with not only Vaddio products, but also Vaddio integrated AV solutions – regardless of the vendor. The Vaddio support team can be reached directly at (763) 971-4428.  Additional install guides, technical support documents and support tools are available through Vaddio’s Technical Support Center at support.vaddio.com.

Vaddio’s innovative products and partner-focused practices provide opportunity for integrators and resellers to win business and increase profitability. With industry-leading warranties, one-year advance replacement, and expert technical support, customers have the entire Vaddio team standing behind every project.

About Vaddio:
Vaddio is the premier global manufacturer of PTZ cameras, specialty camera control systems and professional USB peripherals for the audiovisual, videoconference and broadcast marketplaces. In applications ranging from distance learning to corporate conferencing and television production, Vaddio products bring class-leading capabilities, convenience and flexibility to you and your customers alike—elevating the science of communication with the Art of Easy. To learn more or to become a dealer, contact Vaddio at www.vaddio.com or by phone at 1 (800) 572-2011.

The Enright Company Roadshows Are Back

Join us for one of our biannual roadshows coming your way again this fall.

Sept 19 – Cerritos Sheraton (LA/OC line)
Oct 9 – Doubletree Burlingame (SFO)
Nov 6 – Fiesta Inn, Tempe (Phoenix) AZ
All are 10AM-3PM

Two (2) hour sessions of Vaddio Easy USB Training will also be held at 10AM and 1PM featuring the hottest new technology in USB enabled cameras and audio. This course offers .5 RU credits for InfoComm CTS. Free of charge, experts from Vaddio will explain the world of cameras and accessories which plug directly in the PC and utilize soft codecs.

Full details here.

Vaddio says: We Are Not a Videoconferencing Company

A funny thing has happened to Vaddio ever since we announced our EasyUSB products, people have started to call us a video conferencing company. We first started hearing it in Vegas at the "Future of Video Conferencing" seminar that Elliot Gold has done for years. Since then it has gone from a couple of comments to a daily occurrence. In fact, Sally Blank, our international channel manager, was in Australia at a show with our local distributor and the local Polycom rep called her a competitor and wanted her to compare specs. She was dumbfounded and didn't even know how to address such a crazy idea that Vaddio could be a video conferencing vendor. Well I am here to tell you that "We are not a Video Conferencing Company" Damn It!!! We have been called all kinds of sleazy, low down, nasty, dirty things over the course of Vaddio's history, but a video conferencing manufacturer? Come on now, everyone knows that we are that cute little camera company in Minnesota that makes cameras and camera control systems. We believe in Peace & Love and a healthy serving of granola every day and as a result we play well with all manufacturers of PTZ cameras systems. Our PTZ cameras are designed be used with any video conferencing system and we LOVE them all equally.

So here is my confusion, everyone knows that a video conferencing manufacturer sells codecs, you know those little black boxes that cost a pile of cash to purchase and then another pile of cash to maintain. The same black boxes that have a planned obsolescence life cycle that started the moment you bought yours and installed it. And don't get me started about integrating the black box because the black box does not play well with others, PERIOD. They would much rather have you use their control systems, their cameras, their microphones, carts, mixers, cables, batteries and any other office products that they can sell you in the room. For years now, since the early days of CLI and PictureTel video conferencing, manufacturers have been telling us that the black boxes rule and the rest of the AV industry should just drool over them. And if we are really lucky and willing to fork over bushels of hard cash they just might make us a dealer providing we pledge our first born child and all control over sales to our customers. Well, if Vaddio really is a video conferencing company then show me the box, you know, that little black Vaddio codec box. I hate to disappoint you but you will not find one. Nope, there is not one to be found anywhere. Ok, I have one disclaimer "I did own a black box in the 70's that I used for rolling papers & a herbal substance but I didn't inhale". Outside of that we are clean, none to be found anywhere. So if we aren't the "Next Big Thing" well then what is? I think it is PC's. Personal Computers, you know those things we all love to hate but heaven help us if they ever go down. Computers are the "Next Big Thing" in AV, they create our content, their networks distribute that content, and we watch that content on them. Broadcasting has seen firsthand what the power of a PC can do to change a industry, from production to post everything, is designed for a PC work flow and what use to be very expensive black boxes are now a software applications running on PCs. So if broadcasting changed to a PC centric world, what's to say that AV doesn't do the same. My friends, I believe that those tail lights that are passing us by right now as we breathe it's green carbon neutral smoke are the PC applications that our customers are running and you know they will not slow down just because we don't understand them.

Since the demise of film and the birth of Power Point our industry has always been driven by the content that our customers adopt and then want to present, Hardware video conferencing which at one time was very complex and difficult at best, is now being replaced by these warm, fuzzy, easy to use soft codecs that happen to be free in a lot of cases. Free has always had a big impact on customer adoption just ask YouTube what free has meant for web based video content. In an interesting parallel between YouTube and soft codecs, the big dig on YouTube early on was that the video quality would never be good enough for corporate America. Go ahead and try to find a US Corporation that is NOT on YouTube these days.

So let's get back to talking about my favorite subject, Vaddio. We have always been a customer focused company that only builds what our customers want to buy. Our customers for the last two years have been asking us for a HD USB PTZ camera that they could use with these new soft codecs. They wanted it to be broadcast quality and have all of the normal inputs and outputs and control capabilities that a professional AV product would have. So we did just that, we built an HD USB PTZ camera that they integrate into their soft codec room designs. At the same time we were developing the camera we realized that the quality of USB microphones was ok for a desktop but not at all good enough for a room system. This led us to develop a true USB microphone system. Not a speakerphone with a USB jack, but a high quality WideBand echo cancelling microphone system that has discreet microphones and two twenty watt amps to drive whatever speakers the integrator desires for that project. We also upped the ante with the AV Bridge, which was designed for those integrators that REALLY want to integrate. Now the integrator can choose all of the equipment they want to use from any manufacture they like. The AV Bridge takes the Video & Audio outputs of those glorious AV devices of your choosing and encodes them into a USB stream that you can plug into the computer of your choosing. And in addition to AV inputs there is a control port (both RS232 & Ethernet) so you can use your favorite Crestron control system with it as well.

Well, I hope I have pleaded our case that Vaddio is not a video conferencing vendor, but we are still just that cute little camera company in Minnesota that makes cameras and camera control systems.

Vaddio Introduces Thirteen New Products

Thirteen, count them, thirteen new products introduced to us at the Vaddio national rep sales meeting in Las Vegas last month. Vaddio is a stellar company with real vision. USB cameras, wireless, new versions of AutoTrak and Squiggle. Be sure to ask your rep to update you on all that's new from Vaddio.

Enright Company's Six City Road Show Tour Is a Wrap!

The Enright Company, www.enrightcompany.com, manufacturers’ representatives serving commercial AV/IT integrators and consultants in CA, AZ, NV and HI since 1985, just completed their six-city road show tour.  Entitled the Enright Company Sojourn Road Shows, top manufacturers showed new technology at these very successful expos and luncheons.

Manufacturers include: Vaddio, Polycom, Liberty AV Solutions, Brightline, Casio, RGB Spectrum, Hall Research, RTI, Orion Images, Visionary Solutions, Tightrope Media, Forbes AV, and Conen exhibited their products at these invitational expos and luncheons.  Venues included: LA/Orange County, San Diego, Sacramento, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

“These events are the absolute best way to get our manufacturers in front of our dealers” said Logan Enright, principal of The Enright Company. All events, held in area hotels, were open to all Enright Company dealers and consultants and over 400 individuals attended the events.
 
For further information go to www.enrightcompany.com.

Vaddio Regional Training Program Launched

Regional and online product training courses will be offered beginning January 1, 2012, in addition to the existing Camera Tracking Training classes. Vaddio (www.vaddio.com) Technical Trainer, Scott Rolfes, will conduct in-depth training on design, engineering, installation and techniques for integrating Vaddio equipment into a variety of applications. In addition, Bernadette Yard, Marketing and Training Coordinator, will also teach a sales and marketing curriculum.

“We understand the importance of training our dealers out in the field,” explained President of Vaddio, Rob Sheeley .“And we know how difficult it is to travel to get the training you need. We are committed to offering the training and education to our dealers in the field so they can easily and effectively integrate our solutions into their designs.”

To schedule a Vaddio training course please contact your local rep or go to www.vaddio.com/training. For more information or details please contact Bernadette Yard at (763) 971-4466 or by email at byard@vaddio.com.

Vaddio Launches ProductionVIEW HD MV Camera Control Console with MultiVIEWER, Digital Outputs and Touchscreen Control

ProductionVIEW HD MV offers the same functionality as Vaddio’s, www.vaddio.com, existing ProductionVIEW HD, with the addition of multiviewer capabilities and digital inputs/outputs. Combined with the new Multiviewer Touchscreens, you can easily switch all live feeds and create up to 12 “video thumbnails” of preset shots by simply touching the monitor.

ProductionVIEW HD MV
ProductionVIEW HD MV is a 6 x 2 multi-format, seamless video mixer that also provides two discrete outputs for dual bus program feeds (two independent 6 x 1 mixers). Input signals include analog HD YPbPr video, RGBHV, SD (Y/C and CVBS), and Input 6 provides a DVI-I input for RGBHV, DVI-D and HDMI. The Program and Preview outputs have both analog (YPbPr, RGBHV, Y/C & CVBS) and digital (DVI-D & HDMI) outputs. HD resolutions up to 1080/60p are supported.

Camera control features include a broadcast-style 3-axis/1-button Hall Effect Joystick with twist handle zoom control, as well as separate Pan, Tilt and Speed control knobs. There are six discrete auto-sensing RS-232 camera control ports.  A wide variety of transitions can be achieved through user-selectable buttons built into the control surface. The Lower Screen Graphic (LSG) function allows users to overlay computer graphics onto the program video output.

TeleTouch Multiviewer Touchscreens
The new TeleTouch Multiviewer Touchscreen Monitors allow you to easily see and switch all live video feeds and create “video thumbnails” with finger-touch control. The multiviewer can be configured to display up to six input windows and two larger “Preview” and “Program” windows with red and green tally window borders. The Preview output is configurable for analog and digital outputs and allows for either a standard preview outputs or the multiviewer output. The TeleTouch Touchscreen Monitors are available in two sizes: 18.5-inch rack-mount or a standard 22-inch with base.

Vaddio Announces DomeVIEW HD Series Dome Enclosures for HD-20 / HD-18 Cameras

Stop by Booth 1963 at InfoComm to see the new domes. InfoComm Free VIP Pass Code: VAD0409


Vaddio's DomeVIEW HD Series Dome Enclosures for Vaddio cameras provide integrators with a secure camera housing designed to protect the PTZ camera against damage that can be caused when cameras are exposed to the elements and vandalism. The clear and smoked optically correct domes provide for distortion-free viewing that allows the camera operator to position the camera anywhere within its pan/tilt range.

“Dome camera housings have always proved to be a challenge to our integrators,” explained Vaddio President, Rob Sheeley. “As most of the existing dome enclosure manufactures design their products to be used in security applications, they tend to introduce visual distortion, reflection and glare when trying to support a broadcast quality PTZ camera. The DomeVIEW product line now gives integrators a broadcast quality dome.  ”The Series includes an Indoor Flush Mount Dome, Indoor Pendant Mount Dome and a light-duty Weather-Resistant Outdoor Pendant Dome. Each enclosure includes a 12-inch optical-grade polycarbonate dome (clear or smoke-tinted depending on dome type), metal back cans and mounting hardware.

Vaddio New Products from InfoComm 2010

Hil-Res Cart & Lecturn

Vaddio, www.vaddio.com, has introduced several new major products this year at InfoComm. Contemporary furniture systems for classrooms and videoconferencing applications includes Edge™ videoconferencing carts and Instrukt™ educational teaching stations. Both lines are designed to integrate modern form, function and style for any classroom, boardroom or training facility.

AutoTrak

AutoTrak combines IR camera tracking and a wireless microphone into one easy to use system designed for the education and distance-learning marketplace. The instructor wears the IR lanyard, with an integrated microphone. An IR PTZ camera tracks the IR lanyard, sending commands to the Tracking PTZ camera, keeping the instructor framed in the shot, which becomes the high definition or standard definition video output.

Reveal In-Wall Camera

REVEAL IN-Wall cameras are Vaddio’s first architectural integrated PTZ cameras that come with two options for the camera glass: either clear or electro-chromatic. The electro-chromatic glass turns opaque and mutes video when the camera is turned off or by RS-232 command.

OneLINK

The OneLINK from Vaddio is a revolutionary digital bus technology was created to reduce the number of cables required in any videoconferencing or presentation installation. With OneLINK, power, video and control are passed over a single bi-directional Cat. 5e cable providing easy installation for TANDBERG Precision HD cameras.